MSM: Radio powerplay shuts out WOXO and WTBM from the Red Sox radio network

You will NOT be able to hear the Red Sox on WOXO 92.7 FM in Norway or WTBM 100.7 in Mexico this year, as Atlantic Coast Radio took advantage of their relationship with WEEI (as a simulcast partner on 95.5/95.9) to demand exclusive rights to the Red Sox on radio in Western Maine. Randy Whitehouse from the Sun Journal dug into that a bit over the weekend. Interesting note: WKTJ in Farmington (99.3) is also in the Jab's listening range as is WIGY in Madison, why did not they play the exclusivity card there, too? Keep in mind that WOXO and WTBM's signals don't reach Portland, so it's not like people in South Portland are flipping to 92.7 in lieu of 96.3. The Jab signal reaches quite a ways, might we see them do this again in coming years with other local stations or was this about cutting off a big FM signal like 92.7/100.7 (which had Red Sox baseball since 1977) off at the knees?

92.7/100.7 and 96.3 compete for the same local ad dollars in Western Maine for sports. WOXO currently has NASCAR and the Boston Bruins running on 92.7 and 100.7, while 96.3 has the Red Sox full-time and the Celtics when 95.5 and 95.9 have conflicting programming (it also has all of the local minor league teams and Maine Black Bears football and Hockey on 1310 AM, but those are all paid for by the teams through sponsorship packages on their respective radio networks). One thing is for sure: a dangerous precedent has been set for local radio with this move.